Method and device for slaughtering fish in particular white fish

ABSTRACT

A device and method for slaughtering fish, in particular white fish, has at least one fish receptacle for positioning and receiving the fish, a throat cutting apparatus for cutting through the throat in preparation for the pharynx cut, a pharynx cutting apparatus for completely cutting through the pharynx, a slaughtering apparatus for opening the abdominal cavity, a gut severing apparatus for releasing the entrails from the abdominal cavity and a peripheral fish receiving drum with which the fish can be moved to the individual processing stations. The fish receiving drum is driven intermittently in rotation about a horizontal shaft. The fish are movable transversely to their longitudinal axis on an essentially vertical circular path. The fish receptacle includes pectoral fin receptacles and a torso clamp for fixing the fish torsos. Also, a head support with a head clamp is provided.

[0001] The invention concerns a device for slaughtering fish, inparticular white fish, including at least one fish receptacle forpositioning and receiving the fish, a throat cutting apparatus forcutting through the throat in preparation for the pharynx cut, a pharynxcutting apparatus for completely cutting through the pharynx, aslaughtering apparatus for opening the abdominal cavity, a gut severingapparatus for releasing the entrails from the abdominal cavity, and aperipheral fish receiving drum with which the fish can be moved to theindividual processing stations.

[0002] Further, the invention concerns a method for slaughtering fish,in particular white fish, including the steps of laying the fish in fishreceptacles of a fish receiving drum, cutting open the throats of thefishes in preparation for the pharynx cut by means of a throat cuttingapparatus, completely cutting through the pharynx with a pharynx cuttingapparatus, opening the abdominal cavity with a slaughtering apparatus,releasing the entrails with a gut severing apparatus, wherein the fishwith the fish receiving drum are moved successively to the individualprocessing stations.

[0003] In devices and methods of the known kind, after a manual throatcut the fish are laid in fish receptacles of the fish receiving drum andmoved continuously past the individual work stations which are locatedin the region of the circular path of the drum. It also happens that thefish are laid without their throats cut in the known devices. The fishreceiving drum is rotatable about a vertical shaft, so that the fish arelaid in the fish receptacles with the head pointing upwards (that is, ina vertical position) and with the tail at the bottom, and moved on anessentially horizontal circular path.

[0004] In devices of the above-mentioned kind, it is of particularimportance that on the one hand the ergonomic conditions for theoperator meet the requirements and on the other hand the unheaded fishare opened in the region of the gill cavity without the collarbones andcollarbone tip of the respective fish being damaged, the abdominalcavity is opened with a central cut and the entrails are removed fromthe abdominal cavity undamaged. Optionally, and in fact depending on thefish species, the fish size and other conditions which define the stateof the fish, the slaughter cut is to be made in the direction of thetail as far as the anus or beyond it. The fish torsos, fish heads andentrails are to be capable of being carried away separately from eachother. Furthermore it is desirable that the device can be useduniversally, e.g. for slaughtering and/or heading with or without priorthroat cutting.

[0005] All the above devices and methods, however, have the disadvantagethat they display unfavourable ergonomics for the operator, particularlyagainst the background that the devices are used mainly on board fishingboats/trawlers which sometimes have a deck height of not more than 2 m.In the known devices, the operator must bend over the device on accountof the arrangement of the fish receiving drum, which is possible onlywith great difficulty in the cramped conditions. Further, the operatormust perform lifting work due to the position of the fish in the fishreceptacle, which, considered over the day/shift, on account of theheavy weight is an enormous physical burden. Furthermore, the cuttingresults with the known devices and methods are not satisfactory,particularly as far as preparation of the fish for further processing assaltfish is concerned. A further disadvantage lies in that the entrailsare destroyed with the traditional devices or during the known methods,so that they are no longer usable or contaminate the fish or abdominalcavity with germs or the like. Due to the fact that the fish aretransported and processed in vertical orientation, there is a lack ofhead support, leading to inconsistent and imprecise cuts, as the head ismovable throughout processing. As a result of this, moreover, the headcannot be carried away at any location due to the lack of fixing.Continuous transport of the fish at the individual processing stationsalso leads to the cutting results being sometimes inadequate, as preciseprocessing on a moving object is very difficult or requires very highstructural expenditure. In the event that the fish are laid withouttheir throats cut in the fish receptacles, the pharynx cutting apparatuscuts throat, membrane and pharynx in one. However, this leads to a cutwhich damages the collarbones and is imprecise in guiding the cut.Further, by a method without prior throat cutting it is not ensured thatthe membrane is reliably severed from the entrails.

[0006] It is therefore the object of the present invention to propose adevice and a method with which simplified handling is guaranteed duringslaughtering particularly of white fish within a size range from 35 to90 cm and at the same time the slaughtering result is improved.

[0007] The object is achieved according to the invention by a device ofthe kind mentioned hereinbefore by the fact that the fish receiving drumwhich is driven intermittently is rotatable about a horizontal shaft, insuch a way that the fish are movable on an essentially vertical circularpath. Due to the construction of the device according to the invention,firstly it is ensured that ergonomic aspects have been improved and sohandling has been considerably simplified, as laying the fish in thereceiving drum is made easier and the fish can therefore be laid in thefish receptacles without substantial lifting work. Also, a compactdesign is guaranteed by the horizontal shaft of the fish receiving drum,which in particular allows installation in narrow spaces. Secondly, theintermittent drive of the fish receiving drum allows very preciseprocessing of the fish, because they are stationary during actualprocessing. The quality of processing, in particular the cuttingquality, is thus crucially improved.

[0008] Advantageously, in addition to the fish receptacle for the torso,a head support is provided. As a result, the fish is supported over itswhole area throughout processing, leading to improved and simplifiedpositioning of the fish. The improved positioning guarantees optimisedand repeatable guiding of the cut with improved cutting results.

[0009] In a preferred development of the invention, the head support isof movable construction.

[0010] This allows the processing of fish within an increased lengthrange, preferably within a range from 35 to 90 cm, as the head supportcan yield, depending on the fish size.

[0011] A further advantageous embodiment comprises, in addition to thehead support, a head clamp too. This clamp allows the head to have aprecise position and be fixed at each processing position, leading toimproved cutting quality. Further, due to separate clamping of the torsoon the one hand and the head on the other hand, discharge of therespectively fixed part in different positions can be effected.

[0012] Particularly advantageous is the embodiment in which theslaughtering apparatus in addition to the curved slaughter knifeincludes a circular blade. This ensures that the abdominal cover iscompletely cut during the slaughter cut, independently of the fish size,so as to produce a central, straight cut which is required for examplefor the production of saltfish.

[0013] It is particularly advantageous that the curved slaughter knifeis constructed in two portions and consists of a main portion and a tipportion. This guarantees in a particularly effective manner thatexternal influences acting on the curved slaughter knife, e.g.acceleration due to wave motion on a ship, have no effect on the mannerof operation or the result of operation, because guiding of the curvedslaughter knife is effected by means of the main portion, whiledeflection of the curved slaughter knife is limited to the tip portion.For this purpose, at least the tip portion of the curved slaughter knifeis spring-loaded and pivotable or deflectable about a pivot point. Theextra degree of freedom of the curved slaughter knife therefore makes itinsensitive to external disturbing influences. In other words, themoving mass which for example is subject to acceleration is greatlyreduced.

[0014] The above-mentioned object is achieved in the method of the kindmentioned hereinbefore by the fact that the fish receiving drum rotatesabout a horizontal shaft, so that the fish are moved on an essentiallyvertical circular path, wherein the fish receiving drum movesintermittently. As a result, simplified handling is provided, as thefish receptacles are more readily accessible for laying the fish and thelifting work is greatly reduced. Furthermore, processing of the fishtakes place in the stopped position of the fish receiving drum, so thatmore precise and therefore qualitatively improved processing ispossible.

[0015] In an advantageous method, the head and the web between thecollarbone tip and the connecting point of the gills are pushed downbefore the throat cut, so that the skin in the region of the collarbonetip is stretched. Due to stretching, firstly the throat cuttingapparatus can cut through the skin more easily and cleanly. Secondly,the throat cutting apparatus with the circular blade is applied almostperpendicularly to the connecting web, guaranteeing reliable separation.

[0016] Further preferred embodiments and procedures are apparent fromthe subsidiary claims and the description. With the aid of the attacheddrawings, selected embodiments and procedures are described in detail.The drawings show:

[0017]FIG. 1 a front view of a device according to the invention,

[0018]FIG. 2 a top view of a detail of the device as in FIG. 1,

[0019]FIG. 3 a detail of the device, namely the throat cutting apparatusin its starting position before starting to cut a fish, in an enlargedview from the angle of the operator,

[0020]FIG. 4 the throat cutting apparatus as in FIG. 3 in its processingposition, the head of the fish being clamped,

[0021]FIG. 5 a further detail of the device, namely the guide betweenthe throat cutting apparatus and the pharynx cutting apparatus in anunloaded position,

[0022]FIG. 6 the guide as in FIG. 5 in a loaded position, namelydeflected upwards by the fish,

[0023]FIG. 7 a further detail of the device, namely the pharynx cuttingapparatus in its starting position before the pharynx cut, in anenlarged view from the angle of the operator,

[0024]FIG. 8 the pharynx cutting apparatus as in FIG. 7 in itsprocessing position, the head of the fish being clamped,

[0025]FIG. 9 a further detail of the device, namely the headingapparatus in its processing position, in an enlarged view from the anglein the direction of the operator,

[0026]FIG. 10 a further detail of the device, namely the slaughteringapparatus in a position shortly after entry into the open abdominalcavity, in an enlarged view from the angle as in FIG. 9,

[0027]FIG. 11 the slaughtering apparatus as in FIG. 10 in the nextprocessing position,

[0028]FIG. 12 the slaughtering apparatus as in FIG. 10 in the nextprocessing position,

[0029]FIG. 13 the slaughtering apparatus as in FIG. 10 in the nextprocessing position,

[0030]FIG. 14 a further detail of the device, namely the gut severingapparatus, in an enlarged view from the angle as in FIG. 9,

[0031]FIG. 15 the gut severing apparatus as in FIG. 14 in a front view,

[0032]FIG. 16 details of a fish during the throat cutting operation in aside view,

[0033]FIG. 17 a further embodiment of the slaughtering apparatus in aposition shortly after entry into the open abdominal cavity, in anenlarged view from the angle as in FIG. 9,

[0034]FIG. 18 the slaughtering apparatus as in FIG. 17 in the nextprocessing position,

[0035]FIG. 19 the slaughtering apparatus as in FIG. 17 in the nextprocessing position,

[0036]FIG. 20 the slaughtering apparatus as in FIG. 17 in the nextprocessing position.

[0037] The device 10 described in FIGS. 1 to 15 or 17 to 20 is used forslaughtering fish, in particular white fish, this being preferablywithin a size range from 35 to 90 cm.

[0038] The device 10 includes several fish receptacles 11 for laying thefish in. The fish receptacles 11 are arranged in a circle and form arotationally driven fish receiving drum 12. With the fish receiving drum12, the fish are movable to the individual processing stations of thedevice 10. In the direction of transport of the fish receiving drum 12,after a station for laying the fish in the fish receptacle 11 in theregion of a product delivery means is located a throat cutting apparatus13 for cutting through the throat in preparation for the pharynx cut.The throat cutting apparatus 13 is followed by a pharynx cuttingapparatus 14 for cutting through the pharynx. Between the throat cuttingapparatus 13 and the pharynx cutting apparatus 14 are provided guides 15(see in particular FIGS. 5 and 6). In the practical example shown,behind the pharynx cutting apparatus 14 is provided a heading apparatus16 for severing the head from the torso. The heading apparatus 16 canhowever also be switched off or dismounted, so that slaughtering and/orheading can be carried out with the device 10. Adjoining the headingapparatus 16 is a slaughtering apparatus 17 for opening the abdominalcavity. As the last work station before discharge of the fish to aproduct removal device 18 there is provided a gut severing apparatus 19for completely releasing the entrails from the abdominal cavity.

[0039] In the practical example as in FIG. 1, eight fish receptacles 11are evenly distributed over a circular path of the fish receiving drum12. The fish receiving drum 12 is rotatable about a horizontal shaft 20,in such a way that fish are movable on an essentially vertical circularpath. A second drum 21 is likewise arranged on the shaft 20, but at adistance from the fish receiving drum 12. On the drum 21 are arrangedhead supports 22, in each case corresponding to a fish receptacle 11, sothat in the preferred embodiment eight head supports 22 are providedalso. Due to the arrangement both of the fish receiving drum 12 and ofthe drum 21 on the same shaft 20, the drums 12 and 21 rotatesynchronously. The fish receiving drum 12—and hence also the drum 21—isdriven intermittently. This guarantees that stopping is achieved atprecise positions, preferably in the region of the individual workstations.

[0040] Each fish receptacle 11 comprises a locking element 23 whichconsists of a pectoral fin receptacle 24 and a torso clamp 25. Thepectoral fin receptacle 24 is provided in pairs, namely on both sides ofa fish to be laid, and comprises means with which the fish can bepre-positioned in the longitudinal direction in the fish receptacle 11.Corresponding to the fish receptacles 11 are mounted the head supports22 in the direction of the processing stations, which are arranged on afixed tool stand 26. The head supports 22 are pivotable about a pivotpoint 27, such that the head supports 22 can be moved downwards out ofan upper stop position. Alternatively it is also conceivable formovement of the head supports 22 to take place on a linear path.Furthermore, the head supports 22 are spring-loaded so as to bespring-yielding, so that they are movable out of the downwardlydeflected position back to the upper starting position, namely against astop. Each head support 22 is assigned a head clamp 28 which clamps thehead in sandwich fashion between itself and the head support 22. Thehead clamp 28 is cam-controlled in the practical example shown. Othercontrol means are possible too, however. The exact manner of operationof the head clamp 28 is described in more detail below within the scopeof the description of the method.

[0041] The torso clamp 25 essentially consists of a three-jaw chuck,namely two side jaws laterally engaging the fish and one back support.By rotation of the fish receiving drum 12 in the direction of the throatcutting apparatus 13, the side jaws move towards each other and clampthe fish. The back support is positively controlled by the side jaws soas to rise when the side jaws are pressed together. Preferably, the sidejaws on their inner sides facing towards the fish have holding elementsor the like, which serve to hold the fish reliably in the fishreceptacle 11.

[0042] The throat cutting apparatus 13 includes a circular blade 29 anda blade cover 30 corresponding to the circular blade 29. The wholethroat cutting apparatus 13 is movable on a circular path 60. Thiscircular path 60 has been determined experimentally, such that thecircular path 60 constitutes an optimised path for different fish sizes.The pivot movement of the throat cutting apparatus 13 is carried out bya parallelogram in the preferred embodiment. However, other common pivotand drive means can be used as well. The throat cutting apparatus 13 ispermanently mounted on the tool stand 26. In its rest position, thethroat cutting apparatus 13 is located outside the transport and workingrange of the fish. By suitable control means, the throat cuttingapparatus 13 is movable into the circular path of the fish receivingdrum 12. The blade cover 30 is arranged below the circular blade 29,that is, on the side facing towards the fish. In the cutting positionthe blade cover 30 and the circular blade 29 are arranged at an acuteangle to the shaft 20, and hence to the fish.

[0043] The guides 15 arranged between the throat cutting apparatus 13and the pharynx cutting apparatus 14 for guiding and/or deflecting thecollarbones before reaching the pharynx cutting apparatus 14 areconstructed in at least two portions and consist of a fixed or rigidelement 31 and a movable element 32. The rigid element 31 is formed froma single metal sheet and serves for engagement in the previously madethroat cut. The element 31 is arranged so low as to abut directlyagainst the collarbone of the fish, wherein the smallest fish to beprocessed is taken as the starting point in positioning of the element31. Seamlessly adjoining the rigid element 31 is the movable element 32,so that continuous guiding of the fish is guaranteed. The movableelement 32 is L-shaped, wherein one arm 33 rests on the fish on theabdominal side and another arm 34 covers the collarbone tip 35. Thecollarbone tip 35 is accordingly held in the groove 36 formed by thearms 33, 34. The arm 34 is only 15 to 20 mm long in the practicalexample shown. Other lengths are possible as well. It must only beensured that the arm 34 does not cover the abdominal space, so that thepharynx cutting blade is movable into the desired position. The lengthof the arm 34 is accordingly again determined by the smallest fish to beprocessed. The movable element 32 is pivotable about a pivot point andspring-loaded, so that it is movable upwards by the collarbones.

[0044] The pharynx cutting apparatus 14 includes a circular blade 37 anda blade cover 38 designed to correspond to the circular blade 27. Thepharynx cutting apparatus 14 is likewise attached to the tool stand 26and movable again on an experimentally determined circular path 61, thisbeing from a rest position to a working position. With the pharynxcutting apparatus 14, the same pressure can be applied to thecollarbones as before by the flexible elements 32, this being by meansof the blade cover 38. This ensures that the collarbones are kept out ofthe cutting region, so that they remain undamaged.

[0045] The heading apparatus 16 is attached to the tool stand 26. Theheading apparatus 16 itself is mounted stationarily and has arotationally drivable circular blade 39. Associated with the circularblade 39 is a corresponding blade cover 40 which engages in the pharynxcut. This ensures separation between head and torso of the fish.

[0046] The heading apparatus 16 is followed in the direction oftransport by the slaughtering apparatus 17 which includes a curvedslaughter knife 41. The curved slaughter knife 41 comprises on its innerside 42 a cutting edge 43 which extends into the region of the knife tip44. However, the region of the knife tip 44 itself is of bluntconstruction. In the practical example shown, the knife tip 44 isprovided with a ball 45. Other blunt designs of the knife tip 44 areconceivable too, however. The cutting edge 43 is provided with a bladecover 46, 47 on both sides, the blade covers 46, 47 being spring-loaded.In the starting position, that is, in the unloaded state, the bladecovers 46, 47 conceal the cutting edge 43. By pressure on the bladecovers 46, 47, for example by the abdominal skin of the fish, the bladecovers 46, 47 are movable upwards, so that the cutting edge 43 protrudesfrom the blade covers 46, 47. In one embodiment, not shown, the curvedslaughter knife 41 comprises on its outer sides so-called reamers. Thereamers are comb-like and guarantee that the entrails 67 are completelyreleased from the abdominal cavity, for example, when the entrails 67are still joined to the fish due to being grown over, so that they areonly joined to the fish torso by the gut in the region of the anus.

[0047] The curved slaughter knife 41 is of movable construction andarranged to be rotatable about a pivot point 48. Further, the curvedslaughter knife 41 is spring-loaded. The pivot point 48 of the curvedslaughter knife 41 is located in the region of a link 49 which is alsodesigned to be pivotable about a pivot point 50. This ensures asuperimposed movement of the curved slaughter knife 41, namely amovement on a circular path and/or a linear movement, as the whole link49 is lifted or pivots about the pivot point 50 as soon as the curvedslaughter knife 41 is prevented from performing the rotational movementby a resistance. This then leads to a linear movement of the knife tip44.

[0048] In a further embodiment of the curved slaughter knife 41, in theregion of the knife tip 44, namely behind the ball 45, is provided acutting means 62 with which the connection between the gut and the anuscan be broken. For this purpose the cutting means 62 is of circularconstruction, after the fashion of a cup drill, a round bar or the like,the cutting means 62 or the cutting plane being essentiallyperpendicular to the curved slaughter knife 41.

[0049] A further embodiment of the slaughtering apparatus 17 isdescribed below with the aid of FIGS. 17 to 20.

[0050] The slaughtering apparatus 17 in this embodiment essentiallyconsists of a curved slaughter knife 70 and a circular blade 71. Thecurved slaughter knife 70 comprises on its inner side 72 a cutting edge73 which extends almost into the region of the knife tip 74. However,the region of the knife tip 74 itself is of blunt construction. Thecutting edge 73 is provided with a spring-loaded blade cover 75 on bothsides.

[0051] The curved slaughter knife 70 is constructed in two portions andcomprises a first so-called fixed main portion 76 and a movable tipportion 77. The tip portion 77 is pivotable about a pivot point 78, sothat the radius formed by the cutting edge 73 can, as it were, “open”under load. The curved slaughter knife 70 as a whole is of movableconstruction and arranged to be rotatable or pivotable about a pivotpoint 79. The pivot point 79 is located in the region of a link 80 whichis designed to be pivotable about a pivot point 81 likewise. The link 80is basically held in a lower position by a spring 82 (see e.g. FIG. 17),wherein the spring force with reference to the pivot point 81 actsclockwise on the link 80.

[0052] On the shaft 83 on which the curved slaughter knife 70 isarranged are also located a cam plate 84 and a swivel arm 85. Due to thearrangement on the same shaft 83, the curved slaughter knife 70, the camplate 84 and the swivel arm 85 run synchronously in a precise positionrelative to each other about the pivot point 79. At the free end of theswivel arm 85 is arranged the circular blade 71 which is rotationallydrivable by drive means, not shown. The swivel arm 85 or the circularblade 71 are arranged in relation to the curved slaughter knife 70 insuch a way that the circular blade 71 is more or less located in theregion of the main portion 76 of the curved slaughter knife 70. The camplate 84 runs on a roller 86 which is arranged stationarily, for exampleon the machine frame. The shape of the cam plate is adapted to thesmallest fish to be processed and can be changed as required. The camplate 84 on the one hand and the roller 86 on the other hand always havecontact with each other, at least while the curved slaughter knife 70 islocated inside the fish torso. This contact, which on the one handguarantees precision guiding of the curved slaughter knife 70 and on theother hand brings stability to the whole slaughtering apparatus 17, isaccomplished by the spring 82 which by means of the spring forceconstantly endeavours to pull the link 80 and hence also the cam plate84 downwards onto the roller 86. In case of deflection of the curvedslaughter knife 70, for example when the curved slaughter knife comesacross a resistance in the form of the abdominal cover, only the tipportion 77 is pivoted about the pivot point 78, while the main portion76 continues to be guided along the cam plate 84. The extra degree offreedom of the curved slaughter knife 70 is therefore fixed to a preciserange, so that the freely moving mass is very small and henceinsensitive to external disturbing influences.

[0053] The movable tip portion 77 of the curved slaughter knife 70comprises a lever arm 87 which is connected to the main portion 76 bymeans of a spring 89. By means of the spring 89, the tip portion 77 isbasically kept in the position shown in FIG. 17 via the lever arm 87. Inthis position, the cutting edge 73 roughly describes a radius. When theknife tip 74 is loaded anti-clockwise (in relation to the pivot point78), the spring is extended, while the radius “opens”. As soon as theload subsides, the spring 89 endeavours to pull the tip portion 77 backinto its original position. A further spring 88 is mounted between thelever arm 87 and the blade cover 75 in a so-called “closed” system. Thespring 88 causes the blade cover 75 upon deflection of the tip portion77 to run synchronously, that is, parallel thereto, or to move with it.Only when a load acts on the blade cover 75, e.g. at the beginning ofthe slaughter cut, is the spring 88 stretched. As soon as the loadsubsides, the spring 88 pulls the blade cover 75 back in front of thecutting edge 73.

[0054] The curved slaughter knife 70 can, like the curved slaughterknife 41, be provided in the region of the knife tip 74 with anadditional cutting means 90 for severing the connection between gut andanus. Also, the blunt knife tip 74 can be designed with a ball 91 orother blunt constructions.

[0055] In the lowermost position of the fish receiving drum 12 arearranged means for removing the entrails, namely the gut severingapparatus 19. The gut severing apparatus 19 includes rotatable flaps,namely so-called paddles 51. In the practical example shown, two paddles51 are in each case offset from each other by 180° and rotatable about ashaft 52. However, any other number of paddles 51 which are evenlydistributed about the shaft 52 is conceivable. In addition, a support 53is provided such that the entrails can be clamped between one of thepaddles 51 and the support 53. The support 53 is magnet- andspring-loaded. By means of the spring and/or magnetic force, theclamping force between the paddles 51 on the one hand and the support 53on the other hand is adjustable.

[0056] Below, the manner of operation or the procedural cycle of fishslaughter with the device described is explained.

[0057] The fish are conveyed on a product delivery means 63 into theregion of the device 10. An operator removes the fish individually fromthe product delivery means 63 and lays each fish individually in thefish receptacle 11 of the fish receiving drum 12 provided for it. Thefish receptacle 11 in the laying position faces with its laying openingessentially in the direction of the operator. The fish is laid, seenfrom the operator, back first, head to the right, in the stationary andopen fish receptacle 11 of the fish receiving drum 12. During laying,the fish is pressed with the laterally projecting pectoral fins 64 inthe tail direction against stops, the so-called pectoral fin receptacles24, so that the fish is positioned in its longitudinal direction. Duringlaying of the fish, the torso clamp 25 is opened to the maximum. Thismeans that the side jaws on the one hand and the back support on theother hand are in their furthest position respectively. Thus the fish isheld only by the pectoral fin receptacles 24, and at the same time thehead of the fish rests loosely without further clamping on the headsupport 22.

[0058] During travel of the fish receiving drum 12 into the throatcutting position in which the fish is oriented with its belly almostvertically upwards, the side jaws of the torso clamp 25 move towardseach other. Due to the movement of the side jaws, the back support ispositively lifted. Due to this synchronised movement of the side jaws onthe one hand and of the back support on the other hand, the middle boneof the fish is located roughly at the same height, regardless of thefish size. The side jaws move towards each other until the fish isfirmly clamped.

[0059] As soon as the fish receiving drum 12 has reached the processingposition, it stops so that the throat cut can be performed on thestationary fish. For this, the throat cutting apparatus 13 or thecircular blade 29 with the blade cover 30 travels down. In the processthe throat cutting apparatus 13 moves on an experimentally determinedcircular path 60, wherein the circular path 60 is selected such thatfish of different size, preferably within a size range from 35 to 90 cm,can be processed without machine adjustment or conversion. Following thecircular path 60, first the blade cover 30 impinges on the fish andpresses the head of the fish round the stationary edge of the backsupport. The sprung head support 22 yields and is also presseddownwards. The blade cover 30 accordingly engages the fish from theoutside, this being on the connecting web 65 between the collarbone tip35 and the connecting point 66 of the gills (see FIG. 16). As a resultthe skin in front of the collarbone tip 35, that is, the region facingtowards the circular blade 29, is stretched so that the throat cut canbe made without the collarbone tip 35 being damaged and without gillresidues remaining on the collarbone. During the throat cut the gillarch is repelled by the blade cover 30, that is, kept out of the cuttingor working region of the circular blade 29.

[0060] By the method according to the invention, the throat cuttingapparatus 13 or the circular blade 29 seeks the optimum point for thethroat cut, this being optimised for a fish length range from about 35to 90 cm. As soon as the circular blade 29, which impinges on thestretched skin almost at right angles, has started cutting the fish, thehead clamp 28 comes down and clamps the head between head support 22 andhead clamp 28. Apart from fixing, orientation/positioning of the head isperformed due to the shape of the head support 22 and head clamp 28.

[0061] The throat cut or the depth of the throat cut is precisely thesame, independently of the fish size. The cutting depth is fixed withreference to the smallest fish to be processed. In other words thismeans, the bigger the fish, the deeper the throat cut. The circular path60 on which the throat cutting apparatus 13 and hence the circular blade29 move is as far as possible away from the collarbone tip 35. This hasthe advantage that the tolerances which the collarbones have in theirlength—even within a fish size range—can be ignored, or all toleranceslie in front of the circular path 60, so that the collarbone tip 35 isreliably not damaged.

[0062] After the throat cut the throat cutting apparatus 13 moves backinto its original position releasing the fish. Only then does the fishreceiving drum 12 rotate through about 45° into the next processingposition. During the movement of the fish receiving drum 12 into theregion of the pharynx cutting apparatus 14, the guide, this being firstthe fixed element 31 and then the movable element 32, engages in thethroat cut. In the process the collarbone tips 35 are as it werethreaded on and pressed in the tail direction or out of their originalposition, the position of the fish itself remaining unchanged on accountof the torso clamp 25.

[0063] With the fixed, rigid element 31, the collarbones are onlyoriented or pre-positioned. The movable, rotatably mounted element 32ensures that fish of different size and hence having differentlypositioned collarbones or tips 35 are brought to a precise position. Butat the same time it must be ensured that the region between thecollarbone tip 35 and the middle bone remains largely free, that is, isnot covered by the guide 15 or the arm 34 of the movable element 32. Asthe collarbone or collarbone tip 35 deflects the movable element 32upwards, the cutting region for the pharynx cut remains sufficientlyfree. In other words, the collarbone entrains the movable element 32, sothat the element 32 is deflected further upwards with a large fish thanwith a small fish. It is however important that the element 32 firstlyprotects the collarbone tip 35 and secondly keeps the cutting regionfree. This ensures that the circular blade 37 comes up to the membranewhich has grown over the liver. For when the membrane cannot be detachedfrom the fish torso, subsequent removal of the entrails also provesdifficult.

[0064] As soon as the fish receiving drum 12 is in the rest position,the pharynx cutting apparatus 14 travels also on an experimentallydetermined circular path 61. In the process the circular blade 37 whichis covered by the blade cover 38 moves to the collarbone, so that theblade cover 38 moves hard along the collarbones. In the process thecircular blade 37 with the blade cover 38 enters immediately below themovable element 32 or below the arm 34 into the region betweencollarbones and middle bone. By this cut, first the membrane is cut andthen the pharynx. To ensure that the pharynx is also completely severed,the pharynx cutting apparatus 14 stops at the bottom point of thecircular path 61, wherein the fish receiving drum 12 is already movinginto the next processing position. The stopped position of the pharynxcutting apparatus 14 at the lowest point is slightly laterally offsetfrom the centre axis of the fish. In this position located behind themiddle bone in the direction of transport, the pharynx cutting apparatus14 stops at the lowest point of the circular path 61, but with thecircular blade 37 rotating. Due to movement of the fish by the stoppedbut rotating circular blade 37, there is almost linear guiding of thecut, so that the pharynx is also severed in the edge regions. Before thenext fish reaches the pharynx cutting apparatus 14, the latter is movedback into its original position outside the transport or working regionof the fish receiving drum 12.

[0065] With the movement of the fish in the fish receiving drum 12 fromthe pharynx cutting apparatus 14 to the heading apparatus 16, heading ofthe fish begins. For this purpose a guide engages in the plane of thepharynx cut. This guide merges with the blade cover 40 of the circularblade 39 which takes over continued guiding. During the movement of thefish by the stopped but rotating circular blade 39, the head iscompletely severed from the torso, this being before the fish receivingdrum 12 has reached the next stopping position at the slaughteringapparatus 17. Due to the fact that both the head and the torso arerespectively fixed, so that no displacement of one of the parts ispossible, precise guiding of the cut takes place. After severing, thehead can be carried away at any position by opening the head clamp 28.During the system-related stopping phase (intermittent movement) of thefish receiving drum 12 in the region of the circular blade 39, thelatter rotates without function in the already finished heading cut.

[0066] Travel of the fish receiving drum 12 from the heading apparatus16 to the slaughtering apparatus 17 also takes place without function.During slaughter of the fish in the region of the slaughtering apparatus17, the fish receiving drum 12 stops. As soon as the stopping positionis reached, again about 45° offset from the heading position, the curvedslaughter knife 41 engages with its knife tip 44 from the head side inthe abdominal cavity which has been opened between the collarbones. Assoon as the knife tip 44 has entered the abdominal cavity, the wholecurved slaughter knife 41 is lowered in such a way that the knife tip 44rests on the inside of the abdominal cover of the fish. Due to thearrangement of the curved slaughter knife 41 already described above, itmoves by rotation first in the longitudinal direction, that is, in thetail direction of the fish. In the process the whole link 49 movesanti-clockwise about the pivot point 50. The rotational movement of thecurved slaughter knife 41 is therefore converted to a linear movement bylifting it at least in the region of the knife tip 44. In the processthe cam plate by means of which the curved slaughter knife 41 isbasically guided leaves the corresponding roller, so that the curvedslaughter knife 41 or the whole slaughtering apparatus 17 including thelink 49 is at least temporarily freely movable during the linearmovement of the knife tip 44. The larger the fish to be processed, thegreater the deflection of the curved slaughter knife 41.

[0067] The knife tip 44 slides/feels its way as it were over theabdominal cover in the direction of the anus opening. As soon as theball 45 on the knife tip 44 has reached the anus, the curved slaughterknife 41 penetrates from the inside to the outside through the abdominalcover or anus. By further rotation of the curved slaughter knife 41, thecutting edge 43 on the inner side 42 of the curved slaughter knife 41begins to cut open the abdominal cover from the anus in the direction ofthe head. In the event that additional means 62 are arranged directlybehind the ball 45, before the actual abdominal cut, first theconnecting element between gut and anus is severed so that theconnection between the gut and the fish torso is broken.

[0068] However, immediate initial cutting of the abdominal cover is atfirst prevented by the blade covers 46, 47 arranged on both sides of thecutting edge 43. The cutting edge 43 is not released until the abdominalskin has deflected upwards the spring-loaded and pivotable blade covers46, 47. By the pressure of the blade covers 46, 47 on the abdominalskin, the latter is stretched. Furthermore, this pressure leads tocentring of the fish and particularly of the abdominal cover, so thatthe slaughter cut is made centrally or symmetrically. Now the entrails67 drop by their own weight out of the open abdominal cavity. In theevent that the entrails 67 remain in the abdominal cavity, for examplebecause they are grown over, reamers on the outer sides of the curvedslaughter knife 41 ensure that the entrails 67 pass through the openabdominal cover to the outside.

[0069] In the embodiment of the slaughtering apparatus 17 described inFIGS. 17 to 20, the curved slaughter knife 70 engages with its knife tip74 from the head side in the abdominal cavity opened between thecollarbones. By clockwise rotation of the curved slaughter knife 70about the pivot point 79, the knife tip 74 is lowered and rests on theinside of the abdominal cover of the fish. The point at which the knifetip 74 impinges on the abdominal cover is defined by means of the camshape of the cam plate 84. In any case it is ensured that the knife tip74 rests on the abdominal cover in front of the anus or anus opening.After resting of the knife tip 74, the curved slaughter knife 70 movesfurther about the pivot point 79, while the knife tip 74 essentiallymoves in the linear direction. The resistance of the abdominal coveragain causes conversion of rotation to linear movement. But in thisembodiment it is not the whole link 80 that pivots about the pivot point81, but only the tip portion 77 about the pivot point 78. The degree offreedom of the curved slaughter knife 70 is therefore limited only to agiven range. In other words this means that only the tip portion 77 ofthe curved slaughter knife 70 pivots or is deflected about the pivotpoint 78 as a function of the fish size, while the main portion 76continues to perform a given rotational movement along the cam plate 84.

[0070] As soon as the load on the tip portion 77 subsides, eitherbecause the knife tip 74 passes through the anus or the knife tip 74comes up behind the anus through the abdominal cover (and so thecounter-pressure generated by the abdominal cover is eliminated), thespring 89 causes the tip portion 77 to move back into its originalposition. In the event that the curved slaughter knife 70 passes out ofthe abdominal cover only behind the anus, e.g. in the case of pollackwith a stable abdominal skin, there is provided a stop 92 which limitsthe deflection of the tip portion 77, and so the “opening” of theradius, by the fact that the lever arm 87 strikes the stop 92. As soonas the tip portion 77 strikes the stop 92, the knife tip 77 againfollows the rotational movement of the main portion 76. The position orconstruction of the stop 92 depends on the desired exit position of thecurved slaughter knife 70 and is variable. The stop 92 guarantees thatthe curved slaughter knife 70 in any case leaves the abdominal cover.

[0071] By further rotation of the curved slaughter knife 70, the cuttingedge 73 begins to cut open the abdominal cover from the rear in thedirection of the head, from the inside to the outside. However,immediate initial cutting of the abdominal cover by the blade cover 75arranged on both sides is prevented. The cutting edge 73 is not releaseduntil the abdominal cover has deflected upwards the spring-loaded andpivotable blade covers 75. In the process the spring 88 is stretched.The effects caused by the blade cover 75 have already been described onthe first embodiment of the slaughtering apparatus 17. After theabdominal cut, when the pressure on the blade cover 75 subsides, thespring 88 ensures that the blade cover 75 is pulled back down, that is,in front of the cutting edge 73.

[0072] Due to the continuous rotation of the curved slaughter knife 70about the pivot point 79, depending on the size of the fish to beprocessed, finally also the circular blade 71 becomes engaged andcompletely opens the abdominal cover. With smaller fish the abdominalcover is basically already completely severed or opened by the cuttingedge 73. With larger fish a small web may be left between the anus andthe opening of the abdominal cavity, which web is then reliably severedby the circular blade 71, so that then the entrails left in theabdominal cavity can hang down from the fish torso.

[0073] Travel of the fish receiving drum 12 from the slaughteringapparatus 17 to the gut severing apparatus 19 which is offset about 45°takes place without function. In the region of the gut severingapparatus 19 the fish is then horizontal, this being with the openabdominal cavity oriented downwards.

[0074] Paddles 51 arranged below the fish receiving drum 12 rotatecircumferentially. The paddles 51 catch the entrails 67 which arehanging down and clamp them between themselves and the support 53. Forthis purpose the support 53 is magnetically loaded. This means that theclamping force decreases with increasing distance between the paddle 51and the support 53, until after a given distance it completelydisappears. This ensures that foreign bodies which become clampedbetween the paddle 51 and the support 53 do not lead to machine damageor a breakdown. In addition the support 53 is spring-loaded, wherein thespring force serves only to pull the support 53 back into the actualclamping position in the event that the magnetic force has beenovercome.

[0075] Due to the rotary movement of the paddles 51 combined withclamping, the entrails 67 which are joined to the torso only via the gutat the anus are pulled en bloc out of the abdominal cavity. The entrails67 detached from the abdominal cavity by tensile force are collected ina container and carried away. Upon rotation of the fish receiving drum12 into the next position, the torso clamp 25 opens so that the torsosare released and drop out of the fish receptacle 11. The torsos are thencollected and carried away.

[0076] It is also possible to omit individual steps of the method,particularly heading, for example by dismounting individual apparatusessuch as the heading apparatus 16. Throat cutting too can be omitted bydismounting the throat cutting apparatus 13. The method or theindividual steps of the method are in each case determined by thedesired requirements. Basically, processing of the fish takes place inparallel at the individual processing stations, so that the stoppingtimes at the individual processing stations are used particularlyeffectively.

1. Device for slaughtering fish, in particular white fish, including atleast one fish receptacle (11) for positioning and receiving the fish, athroat cutting apparatus (13) for cutting through the throat inpreparation for the pharynx cut, a pharynx cutting apparatus (14) forcompletely cutting through the pharynx, a slaughtering apparatus (17)for opening the abdominal cavity, a gut severing apparatus (19) forreleasing the entrails from the abdominal cavity, and a peripheral fishreceiving drum (12) with which the fish can be moved to the individualprocessing stations, characterised in that the fish receiving drum (12)which is driven intermittently is rotatable about a horizontal shaft(20), in such a way that the fish are movable on an essentially verticalcircular path.
 2. Device according to claim 1, characterised in that inaddition a heading apparatus (16) is provided for severing the head fromthe torso.
 3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in thatthe fish receptacle (11) includes pectoral fin receptacles (24) forpositioning and a torso clamp (25) for fixing the fish torsos.
 4. Deviceaccording to any of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that, in addition toeach fish receptacle (11), a head support (22) is provided.
 5. Deviceaccording to claim 4, characterised in that the head support (22) is ofmovable construction.
 6. Device according to claim 5, characterised inthat the head support (22) is pivotable about a pivot point (27). 7.Device according to any of claims 4 to 6, characterised in that the headsupport (22) is spring-loaded.
 8. Device according to any of claims 4 to7, characterised in that, in addition to the head support (22), a headclamp (28) is provided.
 9. Device according to claim 8, characterised inthat the head clamp (28) is cam-controlled.
 10. Device according toclaim 8 or 9, characterised in that the head clamp (28) is spring-loadedand pivotable about a pivot point.
 11. Device according to any of claims1 to 10, characterised in that the throat cutting apparatus (13)includes a circular blade (29) with corresponding blade cover (30). 12.Device according to any of claims 1 to 11, characterised in that thethroat cutting apparatus (13) or the circular blade (29) is movable on acircular path (60).
 13. Device according to any of claims 1 to 12,characterised in that between the throat cutting apparatus (13) and thepharynx cutting apparatus (14) are provided means for positioning thecollarbones.
 14. Device according to any of claims 1 to 13,characterised in that the pharynx cutting apparatus (14) includes acircular blade (37) with corresponding blade cover (38).
 15. Deviceaccording to any of claims 1 to 14, characterised in that the pharynxcutting apparatus (14) or the circular blade (37) is movable on acircular path (61).
 16. Device according to any of claims 1 to 15,characterised in that by means of the pharynx cutting apparatus (14) ora guide (15) immediately in front of the pharynx cutting apparatus (14)the collarbones can be positioned.
 17. Device according to claim 2,characterised in that the heading apparatus (16) includes a stationarycircular blade (39) with a blade cover (40).
 18. Device according toclaim 17, characterised in that the circular blade (39) is rotationallydrivable.
 19. Device according to any of claims 1 to 18, characterisedin that the slaughtering apparatus (17) includes a curved slaughterknife (41, 70).
 20. Device according to claim 19, characterised in thatthe curved slaughter knife (41, 70) is blunt, in particular ball-shaped,at its knife tip (44, 74).
 21. Device according to claim 19 or 20,characterised in that the curved slaughter knife (41, 70) on its innerside (42, 72) is sharp-edged, the cutting edge (43, 73) being covered bya blade cover (75; 46, 47).
 22. Device according to claim 21,characterised in that the blade cover (75; 46, 47) is spring-loaded. 23.Device according to claim 21 or 22, characterised in that the bladecover (75; 46, 47) is arranged on both sides of the cutting edge (43,73).
 24. Device according to any of claims 19 to 23, characterised inthat the curved slaughter knife (41, 70) on its outer sides comprisesreamers.
 25. Device according to claim 20, characterised in that in theregion behind the knife tip (44, 74) are provided additional cuttingmeans (62, 90).
 26. Device according to any of claims 19 to 25,characterised in that the curved slaughter knife (41, 70) is of movableconstruction such that it can be lowered.
 27. Device according to any ofclaims 19 to 26, characterised in that the curved slaughter knife (41,70) is additionally constructed so as to be rotatable about the pivotpoint (48, 79).
 28. Device according to any of claims 19 to 27,characterised in that the curved slaughter knife (41, 70) is arranged ona link (49, 80), the link (49, 80) being pivotable about a pivot point(50, 81).
 29. Device according to any of claims 19 to 28, characterisedin that in addition to the curved slaughter knife (70) the slaughteringapparatus (17) includes a circular blade (71).
 30. Device according toany of claims 19 to 29, characterised in that the curved slaughter knife(70) is constructed in two portions and consists of a main portion (76)and a tip portion (77).
 31. Device according to any of claims 19 to 30,characterised in that the curved slaughter knife (70) is arranged on ashaft (83).
 32. Device according to claim 31, characterised in that onthe shaft (83) in addition are arranged a cam plate (84) and a swivelarm (85).
 33. Device according to claim 32, characterised in thatcorresponding to the cam plate (84) is provided a roller (86) over whichthe cam plate (84) can roll, the roller (86) being arrangedstationarily.
 34. Device according to claim 32 or 33, characterised inthat during the rotational movement the curved slaughter knife (70)follows a fixed curve corresponding to the cam plate (84).
 35. Deviceaccording to any of claims 30 to 34, characterised in that at least thetip portion (77) of the curved slaughter knife (70) is spring-loaded andpivotable or deflectable about a pivot point (78).
 36. Device accordingto any of claims 30 to 35, characterised in that the tip portion (77)has a stop (92).
 37. Device according to claim 36, characterised in thatthe tip portion (77) has a lever arm (87) which cooperates with the stop(92).
 38. Device according to any of claims 32 to 37, characterised inthat at the free end of the swivel ann (85) is arranged the circularblade (71).
 39. Device according to any of claims 1 to 38, characterisedin that at the lowermost position of the fish receiving drum (12),namely behind the slaughtering apparatus (17) in the direction oftransport, are arranged means for removing the entrails (67).
 40. Deviceaccording to claim 39, characterised in that the means include movableflaps and a support (53).
 41. Device according to claim 40,characterised in that the support (53) is magnet- and spring-loaded. 42.Method for slaughtering fish, in particular white fish, including thesteps of: laying the fish in fish receptacles (11) of a fish receivingdrum (12), cutting open the throats of the fish in preparation for thepharynx cut by means of a throat cutting apparatus (13), completelycutting through the pharynx with a pharynx cutting apparatus (14),opening the abdominal cavity with a slaughtering apparatus (17),releasing the entrails with a gut severing apparatus (19), wherein thefish with the fish receiving drum (12) are moved successively to theindividual processing stations, characterised in that the fish receivingdrum (12) rotates about a horizontal shaft (20) so that the fish aremoved on an essentially vertical circular path, and wherein the fishreceiving drum (12) moves intermittently.
 43. Method according to claim42, characterised in that the throat cut is performed from the outsidein such a way that the throat cutting apparatus (13) is applied to thefish from the outside.
 44. Method according to claim 42 or 43,characterised in that the fish in the fish receptacles (11) of the fishreceiving drum (12) are additionally supported at the head.
 45. Methodaccording to any of claims 42 to 44, characterised in that the head isfixed to the head support (22).
 46. Method according to any of claims 42to 45, characterised in that the head and the web (65) between thecollarbone tip (35) and the connecting point (66) of the gills arepushed down before the throat cut, so that the skin in the region of thecollarbone tip (35) is stretched.
 47. Method according to any of claims42 to 46, characterised in that the throat cutting apparatus (13) afterthe throat cut moves into its original position, so that the fishreceiving drum (12) can be moved on.
 48. Method according to any ofclaims 42 to 47, characterised in that during the movement of the fishfrom the throat cutting apparatus (13) to the pharynx cutting apparatus(14) a guide (15) engages in the throat cut, pressing the collarbonesinto a precise position.
 49. Method according to any of claims 42 to 48,characterised in that the pharynx cutting apparatus (14) following acircular path (61) first severs the membrane between the collarbones andonly then cuts the pharynx.
 50. Method according to any of claims 42 to49, characterised in that the pharynx cutting apparatus (14) remains ina lower position of the circular path (61) while the fish receiving drum(12) moves on in the direction of a heading apparatus (16).
 51. Methodaccording to any of claims 42 to 50, characterised in that the pharynxcutting apparatus (14) is moved into its original position before thenext fish arrives for pharynx cutting.
 52. Method according to any ofclaims 42 to 51, characterised in that after severing the pharynx thefish are headed with a heading apparatus (16).
 53. Method according toclaim 52, characterised in that during the movement of the fish from thepharynx cutting apparatus (14) to the heading apparatus (16) a guideengages in the pharynx cut.
 54. Method according to claim 52 or 53,characterised in that, for heading, the fish is moved by a stationarilymounted, rotating circular blade (39).
 55. Method according to any ofclaims 42 to 54, characterised in that the abdominal cavity is opened bya curved slaughter knife (41, 70), the cut being made from the inside tothe outside.
 56. Method according to any of claims 42 to 55,characterised in that opening of the abdominal cavity is effected fromthe rear, that is, from the tail, to the front, that is, in thedirection of the head.
 57. Method according to any of claims 42 to 56,characterised in that the curved slaughter knife (41, 70) enters fromthe head side into the abdominal cavity which has been opened betweenthe collarbones.
 58. Method according to any of claims 42 to 57,characterised in that the curved slaughter knife (41, 70) is loweredafter entering the abdominal cavity, so that it rests on the inside ofthe abdominal skin.
 59. Method according to claim 58, characterised inthat the curved slaughter knife (41, 70) upon further rotation is atleast partially moved essentially linearly.
 60. Method according toclaim 59, characterised in that the curved slaughter knife (70) isdeflected only in the region of the knife tip (74).
 61. Method accordingto any of claims 42 to 60, characterised in that the curved slaughterknife (41, 70) is moved knife tip (44, 74) first in the direction of theanus or beyond it in the tail direction.
 62. Method according to any ofclaims 42 to 61, characterised in that the curved slaughter knife (41,70) penetrates through the abdominal skin from the inside to the outsidein the region of the anus or behind it.
 63. Method according to any ofclaims 42 to 62, characterised in that the curved slaughter knife (41,70) cuts the abdominal cover open upon further rotation.
 64. Methodaccording to any of claims 42 to 63, characterised in that the abdominalskin in the region of the opening of the abdominal cavity is finallysevered by means of a circular blade (71).
 65. Method according to anyof claims 42 to 64, characterised in that after severing the abdominalskin the entrails (67) are cleared out in such a way that they arejoined to the fish only via the gut in the region of the anus. 66.Method according to any of claims 42 to 65, characterised in that theentrails (67) are detached all together en bloc from the fish body. 67.Method according to any of claims 42 to 66, characterised in that theentrails (67) are clamped and pulled off by a pulling movement/tensileforce.
 68. Method according to any of claims 42 to 67, characterised inthat the head and/or the fish torso can be carried away at any positionof the fish receiving drum (12).
 69. Method according to any of claims42 to 68, characterised in that the fish are processed in parallel atthe respective processing stations (13, 14, 16, 17, 19).